The representation of the spacial relationship between coordinate points of objects has been traditionally hand-drawn and displayed on paper plans. The data collected for the elaboration of these plans were generally based on tape and/or optical measurements.
Unfortunately, in a number of cases, tape measurements do not provide the desired or required accuracy. Furthermore, the time required to make a plan from tape measurement is, in many cases, prohibitively long. Elaborate optical methods have thus been devised to increase the precision of the measurements and hence permit the obtention of a more accurate plan.
With the advent of the computer age, it has been found desirable to automatically record the measurements directly onto a data recording device and eventually to transfer these data to a computer so as to enable the production of a computerized plan. One such elaborate and complex device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,869, issued on Feb. 25, 1992 to Ingram et al. Ingram teaches a method for devising a floor plan comprising the selection of traverse points, the setting up of a surveying instrument on the traverse point and measuring distances and angles to prominent points of the floor. A further traverse point is then selected and the process repeated until all the data are collected. The data may then be transferred to a computer and converted into a floor plan. The gathering of the data, according to Ingram et al., is a fastidious and complex operation which requires at least a two person team.
It would thus be an advantage to provide a telemetric spacial data recorder simple to operate that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art. For example, it would be advantageous to provide a telemetric spacial data recorder that may be operated by a single operator and that enables the operator to devise a floor plan in a relatively short time.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,514 issued on Oct. 7, 1997 to the present applicant and entitled "TELEMETRIC SPACIAL DATA RECORDER", the applicant describes such a spacial data recorder having a base module and a remote module which are liked through an extendable cable. The length and the angular orientation of the extendable cable are measured to determine the relative spacial position of the remote module with respect to the base module. While this spacial data recorder is easy to use and may be manipulated by a single operator, the base module must be repositioned relatively often, which lengthens overall the time required to devise the plan of a floor. Furthermore, the use of an extendable cable between the modules may, in some instances, hinder the use of the system.